San Diego County kicks immigration agents out of shooting range. Sheriff says not so fast

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Set us as preferred A showdown is shaping up between San Diego’s Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff’s Department over whether federal immigration agents should be allowed to continue firearms training on a shooting range owned by the county.On Tuesday, the board voted 3-2 to terminate agreements with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection over both agencies’ use of the San Diego Regional Firearms Training Center in Otay Mesa.

However, Sheriff Kelly Martinez swiftly intervened.She said that while she supports ending ICE’s firearms training at the site, she will allow CBP to continuing using the shooting range for training.

It’s unclear how the conflict will play out.The supervisors who voted in favor of terminating both ICE’s and CBP’s access to the range argued that agents’ use of the facility threatens the community’s trust in local government, following concerns over use of force during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

However, the Sheriff’s Department, CBP, and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce all expressed concerns that kicking CBP agents out of the training center would lead to longer wait times at the border and San Diego International Airport and negatively affect the local economy.“CBP officers must be able to complete this [firearms] training efficiently and quickly to return to their duties at the border ports of entry, cruise ship terminals, and the airport,” the Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Tuesday.

“Without this ability, [border] lanes will close and wait times will be extended.”The supervisors who authored the motion, Paloma Aguirre and Terra Lawson-Remer, say that lengthy waits at the border are the responsibility of the federal government.“I share our business community’s commitment to short lines and...